Can I bounce an idea off you guys?

EmmaBrooke · January 2012

Recently, I've been thinking of offering a volunteer photo service to our local animal shelter. They are a no-kill shelter, and the people who own/run it are extremely nice people. They do a lot in the community, and hold all kinds of different types of fundraisers & events for the shelter, but the pictures they use to advertise & list their animals available for adoption are not that great. The shelter takes all types of animals (right now, they have cats, dogs, rabbits, a ferret, a huge pig, and some horses), and I love reading their stories.

I've been working on building my photography portfolio for quite some time, now, and was recently inspired by the Humane Society of S. Arizona's FB page (http://www.facebook.com/hssaz). I love that the photographs they use for their animals show a real personality & connection with the animal. I was thinking about contacting our shelter to see if they might be interested in having me volunteer on a once-weekly basis to photograph their animals as they come up for adoption. In exchange, I would be able to improve on my skill & technique while also being able to spend a little time with some animals in need of a little extra attention (not to mention it would get me out of the house once in a while).

Anyway, I feel like this is a good idea & would have the potential to be a useful service to the shelter, but I'm kind of reluctant to contact them because it seems kind of random. Do you think this is a weird idea, or does it seem like something a shelter like this might appreciate? What are your thoughts?

The Big D · January 2012

I don't think that is weird or random at all. Our local no-kill shelter will take really personable pictures of their animals, even putting them in Halloween costumes or other seasonally appropriate attire. Its really sweet and I think it makes the animals seem more family-friendly.

Good luck!

alliapistor · January 2012

I think it is a great idea, but have a few questions/thoughts.

1. I believe you are a SAHM (could be wrong). If that is correct, do you have childcare for times when you will be photographing the animals?

2. If I did it, I would propose it to them as a trial for X weeks or months and at the end of that period you could both decide if it was working for everyone involved. That way if it isn't, you don't feel obligated to keep doing it forever.

3. If you're trying to start a business, would you be allowed to put a watermark on the photos as a sort of free advertising?

Anasara · January 2012

A friend of mine who does this actually just posted about it on her website:

http://www.christathatcher.com/2012/01/photographing-shelter-animals-a-how-to/

I think it's a great idea!

morrigan08 · January 2012

I think it is a great idea too. Some shelters have some people who do that, or at least I have read about it. I think it is such a great idea! Some of the pictures on pet finder need some work or better photos and this would be a great way to do that!

trickeytricky · January 2012

alliapistor:

I think it is a great idea, but have a few questions/thoughts.

1. I believe you are a SAHM (could be wrong). If that is correct, do you have childcare for times when you will be photographing the animals?

2. If I did it, I would propose it to them as a trial for X weeks or months and at the end of that period you could both decide if it was working for everyone involved. That way if it isn't, you don't feel obligated to keep doing it forever.

3. If you're trying to start a business, would you be allowed to put a watermark on the photos as a sort of free advertising?

First, I think that this is an amazing idea! How thoughtful of you to volunteer your time like this, so respectable.

I think alli brings up some good points, and I do think you should get free advertisment out of it, at least a mention below all photos that says, "photo courtesy "Emma's Photography Co."

Also, do they have a FB page - you could ask for rights to post pictures directly on there for them.

amybyrd · January 2012

I think it is a great way to volunteer they might not have even thought about it

star678 · January 2012

I think it's a fantastic idea and sounds very much like a win-win situation!

EmmaBrooke · January 2012

I thought about the advertising aspect of it, but since I would be offering my service in exchange for portfolio building, I wouldn't require my name to be included in any imagery unless it was being used for specific promotional use (beyond the normal pet listings)... Things like rabies clinics, Christmas sales, etc. would be different, but I'm not sure how I would require my name included. I don't feel like a watermark would really be appropriate, so maybe just a small credit line somewhere on the ad.

As far as the business end of things, I am not going to be classifying myself as a business until this summer at a minimum. I won't even consider advertising or operating as a business until I have my ducks in a row for tax classifications, filing, etc. Right now, I've been doing work gratis for friends and family as more of a skill & experience building opportunity, and this spring & summer, I will be mentoring with a local photographer in our area. I don't want to start operating under my a business name and charging clients until I am confident that my work is of a quality that I feel will speak for itself.

In the meantime, I have been requiring the people I have shot to sign a model release form, and this would probably be my only contractual requirement with the the shelter. Basically, the release allows me to use the images for future advertising & promotional materials (in print & online). I might include something on the form specifically for the shelter that would allow me to mention my work with them & link to their site on any future websites & social media pages, etc. I don't know yet... It's something I'd have to work out first.

Anyway, thanks for your input, ladies. I think I definitely need to work out some of the specifics before presenting the idea to the shelter, but I do think it's something worth pursuing. I'll keep you updated! Thanks, again!

Can I bounce an idea off you guys?

Re: Can I bounce an idea off you guys?

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